


Tony Stark’s Manual for Dealing with Sick/Injured Super Soldiers

by lil_aussie_girl



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Basically an excuse for gratuitous Steve whump, Civil war didn’t happen, Friendship, Gen, Hopefully some humour, Hurt Steve Rogers, Sarcastic Tony, Sick Steve Rogers, Steve Rogers Needs a Hug, Team, Team as Family, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony and Steve Friendship, caring Tony, neither did infinity war, or endgame
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-28
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:07:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27763486
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lil_aussie_girl/pseuds/lil_aussie_girl
Summary: I can’t tell you how many times I thought over the years of working (and saving the world, let’s be real) with the great Captain America “There really needs to be a manual for this.....”Oh wait, there is - I wrote it, and now I’m sharing it with the world.You know, just in case you ever find yourself working with a stubborn, pain in your ass, overly stoic, nothing-can-touch-me Super Soldier who thinks that just because he has the legendary super serum doesn’t mean he can’t get hurt or sick....or you know, just almost die on a regular basis.
Comments: 7
Kudos: 45





	1. Prologue

_**A Foreword by the Author** _

_Ah, I see you’ve found this manual then; obviously I either didn’t do a very good job of hiding it, or you’re just too nosy and sneaky for your own good. What can I say? I’m kind of impressed at your guts._

_Either that, or JARVIS told you where to find it. He did, didn’t he?_

_So yes, I wrote this manual after one too many times of certain stubborn super soldiers claiming they were “fine Tony, no need to make such a fuss” and then promptly keeling over on my lab floor. I figured that the best thing would be to note down all the experiences we had with the illness and injuries of our super soldier so that anyone who had to deal with His Royal Stubborness in future generations could be well-guided._

_At the very least, it should give you some laughs._

_No, seriously, the events surrounding some of the tips in this guide were too stomach-tearingly hilarious to include - you heard about the guy who died laughing watching that old British comedy show? I don’t particularly want to be responsible for causing another casualty.....Clint and Bruce would never let me live it down...._

_Neither would Cap, actually, but for very different reasons._

_Anywho, enough rambling on my part, cause that’s not what you opened this probably old and dusty and mouldy book for, is it? Am I still famous when you’re reading this? God I hope so, I’d hate to waste away into the nothingness of fame like that._

_Enough about me. May this manual give you guidance and the strength to not attempt to murder any unnamed super soldiers, and hopefully a few good laughs along the way. Unless my humour is completely tasteless and it actually makes you feel sorry for the big idiot. In which case, I apologise now, and according to JARVIS I need to rethink what I consider to be ‘a laughing matter’._

_Whatever J, I still say that that time with the toaster and the blueberries is the funniest story I’ve ever told. Great one for parties, or just whenever I want to embarrass the shit out of Steve._

_He’ll thank me for it one day._

_Yours,_

_Tony Stark._


	2. Blast Wound

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Just a scuff mark, that’s all it is Tony. Don’t need to worry about me, Tony.”
> 
> Just fine, my ass.
> 
> *  
> Or, Tony’s reaction to seeing Steve’s blast wound after the Battle of New York.

**1\. Most important right off the bat: never, EVER believe him when he tells you he's fine. Especially not right after a mission.**

*****

_The first time I ever encountered a hurt and stubborn Steve Rogers was just after the Battle of New York. He told me the dark patch of material on the front of his suit was just dirt and ash. I was too exhausted (or just didn't care enough at the time) to question him._

*****

The Shawarma was good - delicious in fact - but most of the team was too exhausted or in too much pain after the adrenaline crash of the battle finally began to subside, thus preventing them from truly enjoying the delicacy.

Except Thor, of course - that guy could out-eat an army of gorillas given half a chance.

Nat was leaning back in her chair, picking at the last of her salad with a tired disinterest. The blood from her split lip sluggishly pooling again every time she opened her mouth for another mouthful. She was holding her upper body somewhat stiffly, as if she was hiding multiple bruises and injuries under her leather costume. Piercing but tired eyes caught him looking and she sent him a half-hearted glare without any real venom behind the still intimidating expression.

Tony wisely shifted his gaze.

Clint sat next to Nat, injured leg propped up on his fellow spy's chair and fiddling on his phone. Tony had to admit - he was impressed with the archer, although there was a tiny part of him that didn't fully trust him yet; the guy _had_ been under Loki's control not five hours ago. Still, he'd done well in the fight; current sprained ankle notwithstanding.

Bruce - the man quickly becoming the closest Tony had to a friend on the team - had finished his second meal long ago, but had felt it rude to ask for thirds. Tony had privately scoffed fondly at that; running around smashing aliens as a giant green rage monster surely worked up an appetite, no need to be embarrassed.

His fellow scientist had just smiled tiredly when he'd said this, and poured himself another glass of water.

Thor was finally slowing down, though - being a god - Tony doubted strongly if the man was actually tired, rather he may have sensed that his human companions were flagging and had realised that perhaps he'd eaten enough. He was no less enthusiastic about the meal, loudly proclaiming it to be "The finest delicacy in all of Midgard, pray tell me what magic you worked to create such a masterpiece!" (which had left the poor owners blushing furiously and stammering their appreciation back to the god).

Steve sat opposite Tony, upper body hunched and head resting on his hand. Pale underneath the dirt and grime, he looked close to falling asleep. Multiple bruises and lacerations layered his face, and that one slice in his right shoulder had finally stopped bleeding (thanks to a hasty field bandage, courtesy of the remains of Bruce's torn shirt - the rest of which had helped to bind Clint's leg).

They sat in silence, each processing the battle in their own heads. It was almost impossible to believe that they had really won against Loki, and had stopped the alien invasion of New York. 

Granted, the massive destruction done to the city and the increasing likelihood of lives lost did put a damper on Tony's lightening mood, but he was still allowing himself a tiny smile at the thought of victory - especially one as unexpected and hard-won as this one.

"We should head back" Steve suggested as he glanced at the clock above the counter. "You all should get checked out by medical - Fury'll need us to debrief and start on clean-up as soon as possible."

To be honest, Tony had been expecting more of a fight from the others - particularly Clint - but he was surprised when he, Nat and Bruce all just nodded tiredly in response. Bruce stood and offered a hand to Nat. The spy took it with a tiny smile before helping Clint to his uninjured foot. The three of them walked slowly out of the restaurant, just in time for one of Tony's cars to pull up outside.

Blessing Happy's perfect timing, Tony turned and frowned when he saw that Steve had yet to stand himself. He shared a concerned look with Thor, the god shrugging before taking the last bite of his shawarma.

"Maybe we should join them on that trip to medical, hey Spangles?" Tony offered, brown eyes flickering over the younger man's hunched form. "You're not looking so hot."

"M fine, Stark", Cap's reply might as well have been to his boots by this point, lacking in eye contact as he was. Nevertheless, he made to stand and leave the table.

And promptly nearly face planted the floor.

Luckily, Thor had spotted him fading and leapt forward to catch his weakened teammate, barely grunting as the god took almost all of the Captain's weight.

"Come now, Captain" Thor rebuked softly, adjusting his hold so that Steve was almost standing upright again. "Do not attempt to fool us, I saw you take quite a hit on the battlefield, and I see the wound making its mark on your uniform. A wound that size, you must be in some pain."

Tony was more worried when it looked like Steve was ready to agree with Thor on that. 

The moment was fleeting, and he groaned out loud when Cap tried to push himself out of Thor's grip.

"It's nothing", he grunted, sounding like it took all his effort to make his voice sound as normal as possible. His jaw tightened and his shoulders forced themselves back, blue eyes hardening.

Tony couldn't help but scoff. "Yeah sure, Spangly-pants, and I'm Roosevelt's mother come back from the dead."

Steve just gave him a blank look - clearly, he was too out-of-it to fully understand the concept of sarcasm, so Tony just shrugged and continued

"Just let us help, okay?"

Stubborn as ever, Steve forced himself to stand straight and pushed away from Thor.

"Fury probably wants to meet with me" he stated flatly. "I'll see you back at the Tower."

And this time, the billionaire and god couldn't stop him as he strode determinedly out of the restaurant.

"Ten bucks he ends up in SHIELD medical as soon as he gets there" Tony whispered conspiratorially to the blonde beside him.

Thor just shot him an incredulous look, and Tony couldn't help but laugh as he led the god outside towards Happy's waiting car.

***

Happy didn't take much convincing to drive the easiest route to SHIELD from the Shawarma restaurant, easily reading into Tony's mumbled "make sure the idiot hasn't collapsed from blood loss or exhaustion in the middle of Manhattan".

Clint, Nat, Thor and Bruce didn't seem to mind the detour, all but the god falling quickly asleep and Thor gazing steadily out of the window as the world passed by. The car was silent, the only noise coming from the steady rumbling of the tyres and the deep breathing of those who had fallen asleep.

Tony himself was just starting to doze when Happy slammed on the brakes and skidded to a stop outside a ruined laundromat.

"The hell?" Clint grumbled as he woke with a start, Nat bolting upright from where her head had been resting in his lap.

"Happy?"

The larger man just pointed out of the windscreen to a weirdly shaped lump of blue in the shadows of the awning.

As soon as Thor's eyes found the figure, he was out of the car like the lightning he so often called to Earth, shrugging off his cape as he ran towards the limp figure.

_Please let it just be some dumb civilian who was too stupid to not get away from the fight_ , Bruce prayed, though he suspected he knew exactly who it was.

Sure enough, Thor's booming voice called back to them urgently, "Tis the Captain! He is gravely wounded and requires immediate assistance!"

Cursing colourfully (and very enthusiastically), Tony and Bruce both got out of the car, Happy close behind.

Thor had wrapped his cape around Steve's body and was lifting him up into his arms within seconds. The god's face tense and worried, eyes almost literally flashing. Bruce felt his own worry clench in his stomach when he caught sight of just how pale Steve's face was - even more so than the ten minutes earlier when he'd waved them off from the restaurant.

Happy ran ahead and got back into the driver's seat, quickly starting the engine but Thor shook his head.

"I shall fly back to the Tower" he announced, "the automobile will take too much time."

Bruce was giving Steve a quick once-over, and agreed with the god's grim assessment.

"He's in shock" he clarified, turning to the others with an exhausted seriousness in his own eyes. "He's lost too much blood, we need to get him back to the Tower and into the med bay as soon as possible."

Tony already had his phone out and within seconds he assured them that Doctor Cho and her team would be waiting to receive Thor and his precious cargo on the landing deck. The god nodded gravely and took off into the sky at once, the Captain cradled protectively in his arms.

The group on the ground was silent for just a moment before Clint muttered a quiet and heavy "shit."

The others privately agreed with him.

***

It was dark and painful when Steve returned to a state of vague awareness, though he wasn't sure exactly where the pain was coming from - his entire body was just two hundred pounds of _hurt_. 

The next thing he registered was that he was lying on something soft and warm with a deep pillow underneath his head. It felt like his head was lying on a marshmallow. There were quiet voices nearby, but they sounded unfamiliar, and disappeared after a few seconds of him listening.

How did he get here? Where even was 'here'? He'd definitely never been on a bed so soft, and those beeping and quietly clunking noises around him weren't familiar either.

Suddenly, a crippling panic gripped his heart and his eyes flew open as he shot upright with a strangled gasp. What if he'd fallen asleep and slept for another few decades? Is that all he was good for now? What if-

"Easy, Cap. Don't want to tear those stitches, do you?"

Steve's surprised eyes flicked upwards and widened in further shock when they fell on Tony, lounging casually in a plastic chair and fiddling with his phone. He looked tired, but still looked the same age as Steve last remembered.

When he finally found his voice, the first thing he asked was "Where is this?"

Tony looked up and gazed around the room with an almost vague curiosity, as if he too had never seen it before.

"Oh this?" His voice was mild, forcibly pleasant. "This is the med bay of Stark Tower, fully equipped to handle anything from the biggest medical emergency to your average hangnail. Although, I would think that you'll become very familiar with this room - especially if you keep pulling more stunts like this afternoon."

Suitably chastened, Steve lowered his eyes and let his shoulders curl inward as he sighed heavily. "I know, I screwed up" he admitted quietly, again speaking to his lap more than to Tony. "But I really thought I was fine, I've got by with worse."

Tony growled before he could stop himself, causing Steve to look up at him in surprise (and maybe the tiniest bit of fear as well).

"That's exactly the problem, Rogers!" Tony yelled, before visibly reining himself in with a deep, shaky breath and continuing in a slightly quieter - but no less angry - voice. "You were the one who was pushing us all to be a team, to work together, to _protect_ each other. And then you go and pull a stunt like that. We tried to help you, are you so stubborn and idiotic that you just _HAVE_ to do everything yourself?"

At that, Steve's shoulders squared and he lifted his jaw defiantly to look the billionaire dead in the eyes. "I _am_ the Captain" he ground out through clenched teeth, although he didn't sound completely sure of himself, "I was doing my job."

Scoffing, Tony rolled his own. "Helluva job you did with that, Capsicle. Because all great leaders of history end up collapsed in the middle of a street from blood loss because they were too fucking stubborn to get the help they insisted the rest of their team get!"

Tony's words sounded angry - heck, at first glance, the billionaire's expression could wilt an evergreen - but there was something underlying his tone; was that..... _worry_?

"Damnit Cap; you scared the shit out of us, so of course I'm fucking pissed at you and your fucking hypocrisy."

Steve bit his lip, gaze drifting downwards to the IV in the back of his hand - as if it was the most interesting thing in the room.

"You're right" he whispered, throat suddenly feeling constricted. "I should've told you sooner."

Brown eyes flew over their owner's shoulder to stare incredulously at him. "I'm sorry, hold up. Are you actually _agreeing_ with me?"

Despite the tiredness and faint emotion making the back of his eyes sting, Steve couldn't help but chuckle. "Don't get too used to it, Stark" he replied quietly before sobering quickly. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry though."

Tony sat back down in the chair, leaning back and raising an eyebrow as if waiting for him to continue.

"I'm just.....I'm not used to having someone who worries about me - not in this century anyway" the soldier continued, eyes stinging more as his voice grew quieter with every word. "I've been basically alone since I came out of the ice, I guess I didn't feel like I could really tell anyone what was going on, and I certainly didn't feel like anyone would care if I was hurt - especially after what happened on the helicarrier."

Something in Tony's gaze softened as he shifted his seat closer to the bed. 

"Well, you can trust us" the genius murmured, smiling a gentler version of his show-biz smile. "The Howling Commandos we might not be, but we do care about you Steve."

The sound of his name - spoken out loud for what he realised at that moment was the first time since being thawed - swelled the lump in his throat and he quickly looked away before Stark could see the tell-tale glisten in his eyes.

Not quite quick enough, it seemed; as the next thing Steve knew, there was a quiet "Aw, jeez kid" before he felt a warm, calloused hand slowly - albeit a bit haltingly, as if its owner wasn't quite sure about how the action would be received - start to rub down his forearm. 

Trying hard to collect himself - because God knows he didn't need _Tony_ of all people seeing him fall apart - the young soldier bit his lip and closed his eyes, desperate to keep the emotion down.

"Hey, it's okay you know" Tony's soft voice - with only the slightest trace of awkwardness - made his eyes open again and glance back at the older man's face. When the shining, bloodshot blue eyes met his own, Tony smiled sadly and lifted an arm.

"Listen, you- uh.....you want a hug? Cause you sure look like you could use one."

It was so unexpected that it startled a wet huff of laughter out of Steve. "I didn't really take you as an affectionate type, Stark" he croaked back, wiping his cheeks with the back of his hand. 

Tony shrugged in agreement. "True, but like I said, you look like you could use one - and I'm feeling particularly generous tonight, so I'd hurry up and take the offer before I seek out a higher bidder."

That got a more genuine smile of amusement, and Tony secretly felt pleased with himself at making the kid happier again. It took a few more moments of quiet hesitation before the younger man awkwardly shuffled forward and leaned towards the billionaire - head coming to rest on his shoulder with a contented sigh.

"'S nice" the murmur was muffled, and followed almost immediately by a jaw-cracking yawn.

Against his will, Tony smiled - mostly in relief now. "Glad you approve, Spangles."

He could practically _feel_ Steve's face forming a pout at the nickname, which just made him laugh.

"Seriously though," he continued, hand shifting to rub Steve's back instead. "We really do care about you, Cap. Despite what we said and did to each other on the helicarrier, I count myself among those that do."

Steve didn't quite pull back fully, but Tony felt his expression shift. "I care about you all too - I wanted you guys to be my friends, I just never knew how to ask, and I wasn't sure you wanted to be friends after what we said - what I said."

Tony sighed heavily. "Water under the bridge, hey bud? We both said stupid things, that fucking sceptre really screwed with our first meeting, but I want you to know I'm here for you, kid."

The warm body in his arms didn't reply to that, beyond shifting his head slightly higher to rest on Tony's collarbone. This time, Tony saw the massive yawn as well as felt it against his shirt.

A deep chuckle, then a soft "Get some sleep, Winghead. You might have super healing, but you still need to rest. I'm not going anywhere, okay?"

Lids already feeling like they weighed a tonne, Steve gave a tired smile and a whispered "Thanks Tony, for everything" before he let them fall closed.

Seconds later, he was fast asleep at last.

*****


End file.
